A New Christmas Tradition
by beMMADfabulous
Summary: Just a fluffy Niles/C.C. holiday story.


The air was warm and inviting. The sweet, earthy scent of pine mingled with the soft bite of cinnamon. The only source of light in the room was the merry golden glow of the twinkling lights freshly strung onto the Christmas tree. C.C. paused, momentarily allowing herself to be lulled by a quiet sense of calm and comfort.

"Santy Claus, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree?" a voice whimpered mockingly in the darkness.

C.C. jolted as Niles turned on the light. She rolled her eyes as he flashed her a wicked grin.

"What are you doing here in the dark?" she asked, feeling too disoriented from surprise to make a witty comeback.

"Checking the Christmas lights," he answered as he went back to busying himself with untangling a strand of garland.

"Why are _you_ decorating the tree?"

Niles felt as though he were being interrogated by a 3-year-old.

"It may come as a surprise to you," he quipped without looking up from the garland, "but Christmas trees do not grow pre-decorated."

C.C. let out a noise between a groan and a growl.

"I _meant_ why are you decorating the tree _alone_. Doesn't the family usually do that together?"

Niles shrugged.

"They're too busy planning the family vacation."

C.C. knew she heard a hint of disappointment in his voice but couldn't quite bring herself to tease him about being left alone like a dog while the family vacationed at the beach without him… Damn holiday cheer must have been rubbing off on her. Bah humbug!

C.C. watched as Niles finally managed to untangle the garland and began stringing it strategically onto the tree.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" he called over his shoulder.

C.C. cleared her throat and crossed her arms.

"Well, I _could_ help you," she suggested uneasily.

Niles raised his eyebrow at her in amusement.

" _You_? Isn't this too domestic for you?"

"I'm not incompetent, Niles."

"That has yet to be determined…"

Niles let out an " _oof_!" as C.C. elbowed him sharply in the ribcage.

"I want to help you put this sparkly fluffy stuff on the tree."

Niles fought to keep a straight face.

"That's _garland_ , Miss Babcock," he explained in exasperation.

She shrugged.

"Whatever."

C.C. took the remaining strand of garland from his hands and began winding it haphazardly around the tree.

"You are making a mess!" Niles exclaimed, pulling her arm back.

"I am not!" she snapped. "I'm doing a better job than you!"

"Let me fix it," he grumbled.

"I just wanted to help!" C.C. nearly whined.

Niles sighed.

"Here. Try it like this," he instructed, demonstrating the proper technique.

C.C. fumbled with the garland but seemed to be trying hard to mimic what Niles had shown her. She held her breath as he placed his hand over her own as they tucked the last bit of garland onto the tree.

"See? That wasn't so hard," he said.

C.C. simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak as the warmth from Niles' hand still spread like wildfire through her body.

"Now let's put the ornaments on the tree," he instructed as he opened a large tin can.

The brightly painted ornaments glimmered like jewels under the glow of the Christmas tree. C.C. chose a red and gold bauble and hung it carefully onto the nearest branch.

"Nice job," Niles commented with a chuckle.

They worked mostly in silence as they continued to cover the tree with ornaments of different sizes, shapes, colors, and ages.

"This is an ugly ornament," C.C. said, her nose crinkling with disgust.

Niles turned to see her holding a cluster of green plastic branches tied and hanging from a shiny red ribbon.

"That's mistletoe, Miss Babcock," he explained with a laugh.

"Oh," she replied quietly, a slight blush washing over her cheeks. "I knew that."

When the last ornament and bits of tinsel had been placed onto the tree, the two of them stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"I've never helped decorate a Christmas tree before," C.C. commented with a proud smile.

"No, you're used to stealing them from innocent Whos from Whoville."

She glared threateningly at him.

"You've really never decorated a tree?" he asked.

C.C. shook her head.

"We always had servants do that type of thing."

"Not bad for your first try," he conceded. "Would you like to put the star on top?

C.C. nodded with childlike excitement as she took the Christmas star from him and climbed onto the stepping stool he had prepared. As she adjusted the star on top of the tree, C.C. took one step too far backward and let out a gasp as she began to wobble backward.

"Careful!" Niles exclaimed, reacting quickly by grabbing her hips to steady her.

C.C. gripped his hands tightly as she climbed down from the stool, still fearful that she would fall. Once she had regained her footing back on solid ground, Niles flicked off the light switch, again allowing the Christmas tree lights to envelop the room with their glow. C.C. stared up in wonder at the tree. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, and her cheeks were aglow with a golden softness that gave her a distinctly ethereal look.

"Wow," she spoke softly in admiration of their work.

"Yes," Niles answered, still watching her face. "Wow…"

C.C.'s cheeks flushed as she turned her gaze back to him.

"One more thing…" she said as she stepped closer to him.

"Oh?" he asked, unaware that they were forgetting anything on the tree.

"Where can we put this?"

C.C. raised the mistletoe high over her head as she stood so close to him that he could feel the heat from her body. The cluster of branches were hanging now just above them. Without a word, he closed the short distance between them by hesitantly pressing his lips onto hers, to which she answered by deepening the kiss. There was a sense of loss the instant their lips parted. The warm air around them almost seemed to crackle with a surge of energy.

"I think we can find a place."

 **The End**


End file.
